A new report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), published May 4, focuses on Iranian Majlis member Dr. Hassan Nattaj’s threats to use a tactical nuclear bomb against military facilities in Israel. His statements echo similar threats made in recent months by senior Iranian regime officials and figures associated with Iran’s radical stream. (See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 12404, Senior Iranian Officials Threaten To Use A Tactical Nuclear Bomb Against Israel, March 16, 2026.)
Nattaj, who represents the northern Iranian city of Babol in the Majlis, said in a May 4 interview with the Didban Iran outlet, which is affiliated with the pragmatic stream in Iran: “[Possession of] an atomic bomb is used to intimidate the enemy, and we must not use these bombs on people in any way – unless something happens, [and in that case] we will downgrade it and we will use it against sensitive places such as military systems.”
Below are further excerpts from Nattaj’s May 4 interview with Didban:
“If There Is A Need To Use A Bomb, It Will Be For Military Use, And At A Downgraded Level For Military Operations”
In the interview, Nattaj pointed out that the ban on nuclear weapons set out in a fatwa ostensibly issued by the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains in force. It should be noted that this fatwa has never existed and that the regime has never presented it to anyone – despite the fact that Iranian regime officials regularly bring it up in their dealings with the West. See the recent MEMRI report on the Iranian regime’s use of this fatwa that includes a list of all previous reports on the topic: Iranian President Pezeshkian Continues The Lie About Supreme Leader Khamenei’s Nonexistent Fatwa Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons, Which No One Has Ever Seen Or Produced – While Atomic Energy Organization Of Iran Spokesman Kamalvandi Says: ‘It Is The Simplest Move [For Us Now] To Build A Nuclear Bomb,‘ February 19, 2026.
Explaining what he meant by the use of a “downgraded level of an atomic weapon,” Nattaj said: “We do not have an atomic bomb and we do not want to use it against people. What I mean is that if something happens and we want to use it, it will not be like the bomb that the U.S. used in in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We will not drop this bomb on innocent people. But if there is a need to use it, it will be for military use and at a downgraded level for military operations. This is a proposal and it will be treated with full attention as a new point [i.e. perspective].”
It should be noted that this interview is not posted online on Didban Iran and that the transcript of Nattaj’s statements is from a report by the Farsi-language edition of the UK Independent.
Read the MEMRI report here.
